The BRICS Tuberculosis Research Network Innovation Summit has been officially inaugurated, ushering in a critical focus on tuberculosis (TB) within emerging economies.
This summit, convened per the decision made during the 13th BRICS Health Ministers meeting in Durban in August 2023, represents the final major activity within BRICS before the leadership baton is passed to Russia in 2024.
Drug-resistant Tuberculosis
South Africa’s Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, told the gathering about the burdens associated with drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB infections within the BRICS nations.
The BRICS TB Research Network, established in September 2017, aims to bring together TB program managers and scientists from these countries to exchange information know-how, and formulate strategies for addressing this pressing public health threat.
Collaborative research programs to develop new diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines for TB are at the core of this endeavour.
South Africa, hosting the summit in Durban, revealed its ongoing efforts in combatting TB, with approximately 300,000 people estimated to contract TB each year.
Despite declining infection rates, there are concerns about the high death rate among TB patients, with HIV identified as a significant driver, affecting 48% of TB patients in 2022. South Africa’s National Strategic Plan encompasses both HIV and TB, showcasing progress in treatment coverage.
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COVID-19 aftermath
The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted South Africa to develop a TB Recovery Plan, engaging stakeholders, especially civil society. The plan focuses on finding and linking missing TB cases to care, advocating for TB testing, and prioritizing TB prevention and data system improvement.
Notable achievements in the fight against HIV were also highlighted, with South Africa making significant strides toward achieving UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. Compared to 2017, this progress is attributed to changes in treatment guidelines and the significant treatment uptake.
Looking forward, the speaker expressed the need to do more to improve linkage to care and retention in care for drug-resistant TB. Site visits to CAPRISA and AHRI on the fourth day of the summit will showcase the research work on TB, and a visit to King Dinuzulu Hospital will highlight service delivery efforts for TB patients.
The speaker emphasised the active participation of BRICS countries in discussions leading up to the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on TB in New York, aligning with the goals and objectives of the BRICS TB Research Network.
As the summit progresses, the call to action is clear — to work towards the outcomes set for the summit, including innovations in therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccines, a roadmap, milestones, and a funding strategy to support research activities.
Dlomo said a world without TB is an aspiration and an attainable reality.
The collective efforts of BRICS nations are deemed crucial to transcend borders, ideologies, and individual interests, echoing the shared goal of ending TB.
The speech also congratulated Russia, which is set to take over the leadership of BRICS in 2024, and expressed anticipation for including new BRICS country partners.
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